WCC 2020 Res 105 - Activity Report

Since the adoption of the ICRI Recommendation, ICRI has convened a number of stakeholder sessions including webinars, regional dialogues, formal CBD side events focusing on ensuring prominent inclusion of coral reefs. Some examples include: This work specifically addressed §1a and b of the IUCN Resolution 105.

Regional dialogue meetings
•October 2020: regional ICRI virtual dialogues on how Parties were responding to the ICRI Recommendation
•Nov 2020: Session at the 10th Pacific Island Conference convening stakeholders for a dialogue how to include coral reefs within the GBF
•April 2021: Preparatory webinar on coral reefs and the GBF (link)
•March 2022: CBD side event, Resumed meetings of SBSTTA 24, SBI 3 and OEWG 3, co-sponsored by 12 CBD Parties that are ICRI members (link)

A final event for this phase of ICRI’s work to promote the prominent inclusion of coral reefs within the GBF will be a high level event in the side lines of COP 15 in Montreal.

Coral reefs must be prioritized in the GBF, including through specific and actionable indicators that will allow countries to measure progress towards sustaining this critically threatened ecosystem that yields significant benefits to humankind. ICRI established a communication campaign in May 2020 under the ToR of the ad hoc Committee. A communication sub group was established and included organisations such as Vulcan, WCS, IUCN, CORAL, UNEP, Reef-World, WWF, as well as amplification of this messaging through the wider ICRI membership.

The hub coralpost2020.org and the social media hashtag #ForCoral were established in May 2020. The hub provides access to all of the outputs of the ad hoc Committee, including links to the Recommendation (including translations); an FAQ; articles, communication resources and visual assets (translated); articles and Negotiation/ policy support tools.

This work specifically addressed 1a and b of the IUCN Resolution 105.

Members of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), which includes more than 45 countries that are custodians of over 75% of the world’s coral reefs, adopted a consensus recommendation urging CBD Party governments to ensure that the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) prioritises coral reefs as one of our most vulnerable and important ecosystems; apply a strategic approach that focuses on retention; and adopt key indicators for coral reefs to incentivize action and increase accountability. This contributes directly to 1a of Res105, in recognising the unique contribution of coral reefs within the CBD process; 1b to work towards prominent inclusion of coral reefs within the Post 2020 GBF and 1c, with regards to the application of indicators identified through the network within the Post-2020 advocacy work.

An ad-hoc committee was established by ICRI at the 33rd ICRI General Meeting, December 2018, to follow the CBD post-2020 GBF development process and contribute on matters relating to the critical status of coral reefs and how these can be sufficiently addressed within the GBF. One of the key objectives of this group was to develop a Recommendation from ICRI on the inclusion of coral reefs in the GBF. This was adopted in May 2020 and an addendum to reflect the new proposed target 2 on restoration was adopted in December 2021. Since then, the focus of the policy advocacy has focused around three asks: 1. Prioritise the vulnerable ecosystems we depend on, particularly coral reefs; 2. Retain the integrity of existing coral reef ecosystems and restore around them and 3. Adopt global coral reef indicators.

The terms of reference for the ad hoc committee are to:
1. Coordinate ICRI’s contribution to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework; and
2. Develop and implement a communications strategy to promote the ICRI Recommendation at important international meetings and events in preparation for and including the 15th COP of the CBD.